FRG: politics and govt 1.1 Flashcards
How was the Federal republic of Germany created?
War ended on 7th May 1945 & after the Potsdam conference, the entire of Germany was split into 4 separate zones (allied control)
Creation of parties in the FRG
June 11th KPD was set up (wanted German socialism not capitalism)
June 15th SPD reformed (moral advantage and had more radical policies than KPD)
Christian Democratic union (CDU) / Christian social union of Bavaria (CSU)
1947: Liberal groups combined to form Free Democracy Party (FDP)
Aims of the KPD:
Aims:
- to control extremism
- land reforms
- new education system
- democratic govt
Aims of the SPD:
Aims:
-nationalisation of banks, land and key industries
-significant social welfare systems
Why did East and West Germany begin to divide themselves?
Cold war
- 1945-1947 Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary & Poland became communist
- Marshall aid (economic separation of East and West)
- mutual antagonism as USSR marched into Berlin and blocked off the Allies ( Berlin Airlift 1948)
When was the temporary constitution for ‘Basic Law’ set up?
Parliamentary Council set up 1st Sept 1948 to draw up temporary constitution for the FRG
- announced on 23rd May 1949
- ratified in the week of 16-22nd May 1949
What did ‘Basic Law’ entail?
outlined very free and liberal democracy:
1. Equal rights to German citizens regardless of sex, race, religion, political views
2. Free speech, freedom to form unions or other groups, free assembly and no censorship
3. State education for all
However it also had repressive clauses e.g. possibility of banning political parties if they undermined FRG or democratic principles
First elections of the FRG? Percentage of Votes?
14th August 1949 (met in Boon 7th September 1949
CDU won 31%
SPD won 29.2%
FDP won 11.9%
KPD won 5%
What was the Hallstein Doctrine of 1955?
Hardened West Germany’s attitudes to East
- it refused to acknowledge the legality of East Germany as a separate country
- 1955 FRG announced it spoke for the whole of Germany, refusing to accept the GDR as a lawful govt
Who was Konrad Adenauer?
Chancellor of West Germany 1949-1963:
- leadership was known as Chancellor democracy (he held more power than basic law allowed)
- criticised for his authoritarian style and forceful management of Bundestag
- criticised for appointing weak minister whom he treated like adviser and not political equals
What policies did Adenauer establish on the 20th SEPT 1949?
He set out his policy agenda in the Bundestag, concentrating on the domestic economy and foreign policy. His goals involved uniting Germany and working for closer European integration
Who did Adenauer want to work closely with? Why did he work with them?
West (e.g. Europe)
- fastest way to become self-governing
- being accepted into Europe
-rebuilding of economy
Why were there fewer political parties elected to the Bundestag compared to Weimar?
1953: changes to vote allocations and seats in the Bundestag made it harder for smaller parties to gain seats
- 5% of votes needed minimum to gain a seat
Lots of the smaller parties had merged into much larger ones e.g. the liberal parties creating the FDP
Which two parties were banned during the 1950s under article 21 of the Basic law?
Socialist Reich party was banned in 1952 (extreme right wing)
KPD declared unconsitutional and banned in 1956
What happened in 1957?
CDU/CSU won a majority (never occurred in Weimar)
CDU won 50.2% of the votes in 1957
This lasted until 1969
vWhat was the problem with rebuilding the civil service? What was the year 1945 known as?
During the Nazi period, the one people who could work in civil service had to be Nazis themselves
- in order to restart civil service, Adenauer had to let ex-Nazis back into positions (losing skilled workers meant the FRG was doomed)
- Adenauer and others argued that letting ex-Nazis work was the quickest way to move on and establish an effective civil service
1945 was then known as ‘zero year’ resetting all Nazis and forgetting their pasts
What was article 131 of 1951?
May 11th 1951: allowed ex-Nazis to work in civil service
- many felt this went too far and hinted at Nazi sympathy in CDU
Why did Adenauer’s decisions against political opponents start debates?
1961 Jan: he tried to set up govt controlled TV station (realised that TV was gonna play a major part in the next election campaigns
-18th Feb: Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional
1962 Oct: magazine ‘Der Spiegel’ published an article criticising West German troops in NATO exercises
- Adenauer supported the arrest of the journalists (FDP ministers resigned in protest and Andeauer only managed to get an SPD coalition by promising to resign in 1963)
Who were the chancellors after Konrad Adenauer?
2 CDU chancellors after him:
1. Ludwig Erhard (1963-1966)
2. Kurt Kiesinger (1966-1969)
Both led coalitions with newly re-formed SPD coalitions gaining influence
- they had more liberal and less left wing policy programme
Why was the CDU beginning to split after Adenauer’s resignation in 1963?
Split between Atlanticists (wanted to carry working with West, esp Britain & USA) AND Gaullists (who were prepared to work with France but wanted to co-operate with East Germany)
What policies did Erhard introduce?
Erhard wanted to follow Adenauer’s atlanticist policies and tried to increasingly often introduce an emergency law to tap phones, search homes and open mail
- SPD refused to support measures
1966: Erhard introduced a budget that included heavy taxation on FDP ministers that resigned
Erhard could not form a coalition and he resigned
What is the grand coalition?
CDU/CSU/SDP with Kurt Kiesenger as chancellor but Willy Brandt (SPD Head) as vice chancellor and foreign minister
formed when Germany economy was in a down turn and there was growing hostility towards the govt
- coalition hoped a shift towards Ostpolitik (rejection Hallstein Doctrine and working with east) would help govt support
Who was Willy Brandt and what policy did he support? 1969-1974
SPD chancellor who pushed ahead with Ostpolitik (remained policy for all chancellors until 1989)
- regional governments and certain members did not support this
Ostpolitik: establishing friendly relations with East Germany rather than treating it like a soviet zone
- met with serious opposition alongside his liberal measures e.g. decriminalisation of homosexuality and reducing voting age to 18 (CSU found it hard to accept they had less political power)
Why did Brandt struggle to survive?
Oct 1970: several signifi9cant FDP politicians joined CDU
Mar 1972: several SPD embers joined CDU
- Forced a constructive vote of no confidence naming Rainer Barzel as chancellor replacement (failed by 2 votes)
Brandt called an early election in nOV 1972: vote of confidence on Brandt and Ostpolitik (highest turnout ever and SPD won most seats
